The members of this committee are: Mike Pliss -Chair, Alan Foley, Chirag Saluja, Joanne Church, Linda Knewstub, Michael Simons, Rae Covey, and Ryan Harrington.
Contributions to the 2010-13 Tech Plan are being assembled into a working draft available via the COLT TECH PLAN WIKI. The final Technology PLan for 2010-13 has been approved by NYS SED. Additional work needed to improve the plan further include:
*May/June: Add the State of Technology survey data and analysis from Audit Subcomm to document the perspectives of students & staff.
*May/August: Confirm systems are in place to collect the data needed for the plan's metrics. *In June- August: Complete the NCLB Requirement Rubric – note on what pages each NCLB requirement is met.
5/3/2010 Update from E-rate:
For New York State applicants, whose plans have been approved by participating reviewers, a list of plan expiration dates is available in the Technology Planning section of our NYS E-rate Resources Web site. Note that there will be two entries for any applicant who has an older plan expiring this June and a newer plan that has been approved for subsequent years. The 6/30/2010 entry will be eliminated from the database this July.
Perhaps recognizing this year's spike in required tech plan approvals, the SLD ran two Webinars for USAC-certified Technology Plan Approvers ("TPAs") last week. Although designed for TPAs, much of the material covered is equally important for the applicants. The TPA presentation slides used are available online and are recommended reading for all.
The material presented in this year's tech plan workshop was similar to that of a similar workshop that the SLD ran a couple of years ago. Although not much is new, it is clear that the SLD and its auditors are paying more attention to technology plans. Several points should be noted, namely:
The SLD discussed the following common pitfalls in technology plans:
The tech plan does not contain all five required elements (see our Tech Plan Primer).
The tech plan is undated and/or does not specify the time period covered.
The tech plan was created after the Form 470 was filed or was approved after services had started (typically July 1).
The tech plan does not support services being requested or technology currently in place, or it is otherwise deemed not realistic.
Auditors may request a copy of the tech plan itself, a copy of the formal technology plan approval letter, documentation of the creation date, and documentation supporting activities described in the tech plan. The SLD often requests one or more of the first three items during Selective Reviews and Form 486 reviews. Examples of the fourth item might include:
An asset register to support the needs assessment
A training log to provide evidence of professional development
Copies of periodic tech plan evaluations
Although the SLD relies upon USAC-certified TPAs to review and approve plans, the applicants are ultimately responsible for the content and timing of their plans. One slide in the SLD's presentation makes it clear that, should funding be denied as a result of a tech plan deficiency, USAC will not reach out to the TPA unless there is a record of "consistent problems."
Contributions to the 2010-13 Tech Plan are being assembled into a working draft available via the COLT TECH PLAN WIKI. The final Technology PLan for 2010-13 has been approved by NYS SED. Additional work needed to improve the plan further include:
*May/June: Add the State of Technology survey data and analysis from Audit Subcomm to document the perspectives of students & staff.
*May/August: Confirm systems are in place to collect the data needed for the plan's metrics.
*In June- August: Complete the NCLB Requirement Rubric – note on what pages each NCLB requirement is met.
5/18/2010 Update:
Here is the [[http://www.icsd.k12.ny.us/iit/images/stories/NYS SED APPROVAL LETTER.pdf|letter from NYS SED ]]approving the 2010-2013 Technology Plan
5/3/2010 Update from E-rate:
For New York State applicants, whose plans have been approved by participating reviewers, a list of plan expiration dates is available in the Technology Planning section of our NYS E-rate Resources Web site. Note that there will be two entries for any applicant who has an older plan expiring this June and a newer plan that has been approved for subsequent years. The 6/30/2010 entry will be eliminated from the database this July.
Perhaps recognizing this year's spike in required tech plan approvals, the SLD ran two Webinars for USAC-certified Technology Plan Approvers ("TPAs") last week. Although designed for TPAs, much of the material covered is equally important for the applicants. The TPA presentation slides used are available online and are recommended reading for all.
The material presented in this year's tech plan workshop was similar to that of a similar workshop that the SLD ran a couple of years ago. Although not much is new, it is clear that the SLD and its auditors are paying more attention to technology plans. Several points should be noted, namely: